Advocating for Older Citizens

As the elderly population grows in Illinois and across our nation, protecting
older citizens continues to be one of the most important responsibilities
of the Attorney General’s office. Far too often, scam artists perceive
senior citizens as vulnerable and relatively wealthy due to their ability
to access retirement accounts and pensions. As a result, seniors are a
frequent target of a wide range of consumer fraud scams. Illinois Attorney
General Lisa Madigan works to protect all Illinois seniors by taking legal
action against those who prey on seniors and supporting legislation to
toughen penalties against those who commit crimes against the elderly.

Sadly, financial exploitation is not the only threat to seniors’ safety. Physical and sexual abuse of elderly citizens is far too prevalent. This often unreported crime is devastating to both victims and family members. In response to this serious problem, the Attorney General’s office is working with advocates, other government agencies and law enforcement officials to root out abuse.

The Attorney General provides a Senior Citizens Consumer Fraud Hotline. To contact the hotline please call 1-800-243-5377 or 1-800-964-3013 (TTY).

To report abuse, neglect or exploitation of an older person living in the community, please contact the 24-hour Illinois Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-866-800-1409 or 1-888-206-1327 (TTY). Online, visit www.state.il.us/aging/.

To report the abuse, neglect or exploitation of an older person living in a long-term care facility, please contact the Department of Public Health at 1-800-252-4343 or 1-800-547-0466 (TTY). Online, visit www.idph.state.il.us/.

The Attorney General’s office is proud to participate in the following programs to help protect Illinois’ older citizens:

The Attorney General’s Office also recommends The Elder Law & Miscellaneous Remedies (ELMR) Division of the Cook County Circuit Court as an important resource for seniors. ELMR is the only division of its kind in the country that hears matters involving litigants age 60 and older pertaining to the Adult Protective Services Act, the Illinois Power of Attorney Act, Domestic Violence offenses and various criminal offenses. The Division includes the Cook County Elder Justice Center (CCEJC), a free resource center that was established to enhance and improve seniors’ interactions with the court system, to empower seniors with tools to avoid abuse, neglect and financial exploitation and to offer assistance with legal and social service issues.

For more information on the ELMR Division and its initiatives, please visit ELMR’s website.